The Cooling Effect
by alphaangel
Summary: Set after Crash and Burn when Sara and Catherine go out for a drink. Second part added, how does Gil find out that Hank cheated on Sara. Please review. Rating raised for one swear word.
1. Chapter 1

This set immediately after the end of Crash and Burn. Just wanted to have a look at what might have happened next.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

**The Cooling Effect**

Catherine watched as Sara got calmly into the car, not meeting her eye. To anyone who didn't know Sara, she would have seemed fine, but Catherine knew better. "You got any plans?"

"Nope." Sara replied looking straight ahead.

"You wanna get a beer?" Catherine asked, thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea for Sara to go home alone and brood.

Sara looked over at Catherine and smiled slightly. "Drive." She said looking back through the windscreen.

Catherine put her hands back on the steering wheel and pulled away. They drove in silence for fifteen minutes, Sara staring only at the road in front of them.

They sat down at a table in a quiet corner of a bar, where the team often went after a shift, with their beers. "So, what did he do?" Catherine said when Sara was obviously not going to start the conversation.

"Cheated on me. Or rather, was using me to cheat on his girlfriend."

"The girl he was sat with in the restaurant?"

"Yep." Sara muttered laughing humourlessly. "When I went to her house to ask her about the victim, I saw a photograph of them together on holiday."

"Sorry."

"Should have seen that one coming I suppose." Sara said shrugging and taking a large swig of her beer. "All he was bothered about was whether or not I had told her."

"You're better off without him. I feel sorry for her, with no idea what he's like."

"You know, he's the first guy I've dated since before I came to Vegas."

"Wow that's a long time without..."

"Oh, no." Sara said quickly, blushing. "I've had one night stands, God, I'd have killed people if it had been that long. But it was the first relationship I'd been in for years."

"You know, Eddie used to cheat on me all the time and each time he did, I never even suspected. It's easy to miss 'cos you don't want to see it."

"You'd think being CSI's, we'd notice the signs."

"If you went into a relationship looking for signs of him cheating, you'd never trust him. Sometimes it's better to get hurt occasionally than spend the time avoiding relationships all together."

"I dunno, maybe I should just give up on romance. Maybe I'm destined to be alone."

"Ah, we all know who you're destined to be with." Catherine said smirking slightly.

"Who?"

"Oh, come on Sara."

"What?"

"Grissom! You obviously love him and he obviously loves you!"

"Don't be ridiculous." Sara said shaking her head.

"So why else did you come to Vegas."

"'Cos Grissom needed my help."

"So he called you and you up root yourself and move nearly six hundred miles, just because he needed your help. Do that for all your friends, do you?"

Sara shrugged. "You want another beer?" She asked noticing that both of their bottles were empty.

"Yeah, thanks." Catherine replied.

"So why don't you just ask him out?" Catherine asked as Sara returned to the table with two new bottles of beer.

"Come on, he'd never date me."

"Why not?"

"'Cos his job is the most important thing to him, 'cos he's not interested, 'cos I get too involved in some cases. You name it."

"You really don't have much of an opinion of yourself, do you?"

Sara shrugged again.

"Look, Sara, it's so obvious that Grissom is in to you. I think he's just not sure what to do about it. And I think he's scared."

"I don't know what to do about. I've tried to over Griss, but I can't. One minutes, he's being caring, and the next, it's like I don't exist."

"Give him time."

"I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. It's been five years already. What if I wait around and he never makes his mind up."

"Is that what Hank was about? You trying to get over Gris."

"Maybe. I mean I liked Hank but I suppose when I was with him I was always thinking about Gris."

"How did Gris react when he found out that you and Hank were dating?"

"He just gave me a weird look and avoided me for days."

"See, he wouldn't do that if he didn't love you."

"I just wish he would get his act together and decide what he wants."

"Do you want me to have a word with him."

"No!" Sara said quickly. "He'd hate it if he found out that we had even had this conversation."

"Ok, I won't say anything."

They sat in silence as they finished the last of their beers. Catherine looked at her watch. "I should get home to Lindsey."

Sara downed the last mouthful of her beer. "Look, thanks for this Cath. I really appreciate it, having the chance to get it off my chest. I'd have just gone home and sat thinking about it. It's done me good talking about it."

"Good, anytime you want to talk, you know where I am."

---

Sara sighed as she let herself into her apartment. She slammed the door behind her and sat down on the sofa, leaning back exhaustedly. She picked up a photo of herself and Hank off the coffee table. It had been taken a few weeks before. She looked at it for a few minutes and then ripped it into eighths. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, she threw it into the bin before going to bed.

Please review?


	2. Chapter 2

**It was just going to be a one-shot but Durban suggested continuing this and seeing how Gil found out, the idea intrigued me so here it is and thanks for the idea Durban. And thanks to everyone who left reviews. Sorry that I haven't replied personally but I have just had a ridiculous amount of revision to do to pass my end of year exams and get into the second year. As ever, I don't have a beta so all mistakes are entirely my own and I also don't own CSI.**

**Chapter 2**

Catherine knocked on the door to Grissom's office and entered without waiting for a reply.

"What?" Grissom asked, not looking up from the paper he was reading.

"Have you forgotten something?"

Grissom frowned in confusion.

"Assignments?"

"Oh." He held a piece of paper out for her to take. "Thanks." He looked back down at the form.

"So, you want me to hand out the assignments tonight?"

"Thanks."

"And you are...?"

"I've got a lot of paper work to do." He said still looking down at the form.

"Gil, is something wrong?" Thinking Gil's behaviour was stranger than usual.

"No. Why would there be?" Gil replied doing a good impression on nonchalant.

"Well, you always have a lot of paperwork to do, but you usually dump it on me at the last minute."

"Well, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf."

"Right." Catherine said, finding Grissom as confusing as ever. "Ok, then." She left his office and thought she heard him sigh with relief.

She walked into the break room and sat down at the table. Sara was reading a forensic journal apparently unaware of Nick and Warrick throwing paper aeroplanes at each other beside her.

"Right, Nick and Warrick you've got a 419 at Henderson." She said handing the slip over to Nick. "Sara, your with me, DB out in the desert." She was secretly glad she was partnered up with Sara so she could keep an eye on her.

"Where's Grissom?" Nick asked as he stood up to leave.

"Paperwork."

"What? He's actually doing it!" Warrick exclaimed.

"Is he sick?" Nick said raising his eyebrows.

"No, apparently he's turning over a new leaf and isn't dumping his paperwork on me. Now get on to your scene."

"I'm driving." Warrick said as he slipped through the door quicker than Nick.

"You ready?" Catherine asked Sara as she put the journal down and stood up.

"Yeah, just got to grab my kit."

---

"You're quiet." Catherine said after they had been driving for ten minutes and Sara had yet to say anything.

"Mmm." Sara replied, resting her head on the window.

"You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"A little."

"Thinking about the stuff with Hank?"

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"You're better off without him."

"I know. It's just..."

"You still feel hurt."

"Yeah. Can't believe he had a girlfriend the whole time."

"When it comes to men, we can be a bit oblivious. Talking of oblivious, have you thought anymore about telling Grissom how you feel?"

"I dunno, I can't help but think that I'm just setting myself up to be hurt again."

"Gil would never cheat on you."

"I don't think I'd ever get him to the stage where he could cheat on me."

"He'll realise eventually."

"Hmm." Sara murmured.

They finally arrived at the scene. "Hi David, you beat us here." Catherine said spotting the assistant coroner already hunched over the body.

"I've only been here a few minutes." He replied looking over to them

"So what've we got?" Catherine asked as they both pulled on their gloves.

"Female, thirties, I'd guess. COD is probably the gunshot wound. I can't give you a time of death, rigor has passed and lividity is set. She's been here a while. I think this might be one for Grissom, there's a lot of bug activity on the body."

"I'll go give him a call." Sara said walking a few meters away to get a better signal.

"_Grissom."_

"Hi, it's Sara. Our DB's been out here a while, there's a lot of insect activity, do you want to come out here and collect the samples yourself?"

"_Er_." She could hear him pause for a minute.

"Griss?"

"_No, I've got a lot of paperwork to do, I'm sure you and Catherine are capable of collecting a few samples, just remember to give them food and don't let them suffocate_."

"Ok. Bye." She hung up the phone looking surprised. Grissom would never miss a chance to look at bugs, especially not for paperwork.

"He's not coming." Sara said as she joined Catherine and David at the body, who were going through the victims pockets. "Said he's got too much paperwork and we can collect the samples."

Catherine raised an eyebrow in response. 'That man is behaving strange even for him.' She thought to herself.

"He really is turning over a new leaf, huh." Sara answered moodily and started automatically photographing the body.

---

"What is wrong with you?" Catherine asked not even bothering to knock on his door this time.

"What have I forgotten this time, Catherine?"

"Er, who you are maybe?"

Gil looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Are you avoiding Sara, or is there something else going on."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said looking back down at his desk.

"You wouldn't come out to collect your precious bugs."

"I have a lot of paper work."

"Bullshit! Don't give me that Gil, I've known you for too long."

"When are you going to pull your head out of the microscope and see what is in front of you."

"And what's that, Catherine?"

"A woman who really loves you."

"She got herself a boyfriend."

"Not any more she hasn't, he cheated on her. And she only got with him 'cos you told her to get a diversion, remember?"

"He cheated on her?" His tone of voice changed from being closed-off to being caring.

Catherine nodded.

"What a, a..." He fumed, how could someone do that to Sara, to his Sara. There he was again claiming ownership over her when he had no right. All he had ever done was hurt her. He'd pushed her away to stop her from getting hurt but had just managed to do more harm than good. She needed someone who could love her always and put her before anything. He just didn't think that he was capable of that sacrifice even for the woman he loved.

"I know."

"Don't tell her I told you, just ease up on her, alright? She's been hurt enough recently."

"I never meant to hurt her, just the opposite actually."

"I know, now are you going to come and look at these bugs or do me and Sara have to do an entomology degree so that we can solve this case."

"Ok, I'm coming. I suppose this paperwork can wait until the end of the month."

Suddenly Catherine looked exasperated. "For goodness sake, it's the last day of the month tomorrow."

"Is it?" He looked sheepish.

She sighed. "Give me half, I'll sort them for you."

"Thanks." He paused. "Sara will be ok, won't she?"

"I hope so."

**Reviews encourage me to revise, so please leave one. Think of it as your good deed for the day!**


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